The Great Scavenger Hunt
by something-like-love
Summary: Takes place summer after HBP. Hermione has convinced Ginny and Harry to take part in a scavenger hunt with herself and Ron. The winners get a slice of pie for dessert... suddenly it's a matter of life and death.


**A/N: This was a contest entry for the Hideaway, a lovely site you can find the link to on my bio page. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**"_THE SCAVENGER HUNT"_**

"Hermione, leave me the bloody hell alone!"

I heard her sigh in disgust as she left the room. Ah, peace. She's my best female friend, of course, with all the testosterone I've been exposed to with six brothers, but she can get on my nerves. Like now, trying to wake me up at seven o' clock on a holiday! That's just not normal.

"Ginny!"

Groan.

"Yes, Mione, darling?" Ha. I can almost see her scowling at the nick name.

"Time to go."

"Go where? What? Are you leaving? Oh, God, is it You-Know-"

"NO! Would you shut up for a minute?" Fine, yell at me.

"Unless you're going to tell me that there is a rapidly spreading fire and I must leave immediately, I might get out of bed. And that's a big might, mind you."

"We're going on a picnic." Is that it? I mean-

Wait, what?

"Picnic?"

"Yes, Ginny. You know, when you take a basket full of food to an outdoor location and ingest it in the company of friends?"

"Gah! Too many big words, too early!"

She huffed angrily and pulled the comforter completely off my body. Oh, Merlin! It's bloody COLD!

"MIONE! I'M FREEZING HERE!"

"Get up."

"I loathe you sooo much."

Until this moment I've kept my eyes screwed shut in order to fake sleep, but no point now, with my limbs partially frostbitten. Teeth chattering, I watch Hermione make my bed hurriedly. Well, pardon me for messing up your precious picnic plans. She's already laid out an outfit for me. Thank you, mum.

Well, this is fun. It's seven forty five in the morning and I'm hiking towards the lake.

I wonder what it's like to have a normal family?

I'll describe our little band of travelers for you-

1. Hermione, future sister-in-law (hint, hint). Of course, she's got the picnic basket that's filled with utterly useless stuff like an antidote should we get bitten by a rabid dog. Why does she think we need this stuff?

2. Ron, resident brother. Bloody annoying, though it is fun to watch him and Mione argue over trivial things. Then Harry and I can laugh and point.

3. Harry, "The-Boy-Who-Lived," "The Chosen One," or whatever name they've decided to call him this week. He whom I have no feelings for whatsoever.

Really.

4. Me, Ginny, insane rambler, ex-girlfriend of Harry Potter, and generally odd young woman.

"Ginny!"

"WHAT?" Oh, Merlin, that scared me!

Hermione looked pointedly at me before gesturing out in front of her were I could find-

a lake.

Oooh. A lake. I haven't ever seen it before, even though it's on my property.

Maybe I'm a bit grouchy this morning.

"Yes, Hermione, it's a lake. God forbid we miss it," said Ron grumpily. Ha ha. This should be good.

Mione glared at him, and if she wants to she can manage a pretty impressive glare. Nothing on Professor Snape, of course, but still pretty darn frightening.

"Pardon me, _Ronald._ You lot probably would have missed it and walked straight in if I hadn't snapped you out of your morning haze!"

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault?!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Well, excuse me for wanting to sleep more than four hours a night!"

"How can you-"

Aaaaand, they're off.

Harry's looking at me. Do I have something on my face? Maybe- gah, no stop it! I don't care. Lalalala. Hm hm hm...

"Ginny, why are you humming?"

Oops. Better write 'be more inconspicuous' on my to-do-list.

"No reason. What to you want to do while Ron and Mione release their pent up sexual tension?" He laughed. Yeah, I made him laugh. Go me.

"HEY!"

Whoops, they heard us. I didn't know Hermione's face could turn that red.

"What- you- I-" Ron bumbled. Hah hah. This is so entertaining.

"Never mind," Hermione said quickly, picking up her basket. "We've got to find a place to set up! I've got a game to play!" She sounds so excited. I'll bet it's a Muggle game. I'm no good at those. She once taught me how to play Duck Duck Goose and I nearly killed myself.

I wonder if Hermione took some genius art course in how to pick a spot for a picnic even though all the grass looks the same. I think my eyeballs are getting blisters.

"Here we are!"

"Oh thank Merlin!"

"Ginny, stop kissing the ground."

Oh, fine, Miss Prim and Proper. "Tell us about your game, then."

She beamed at me. Aw, she looks so pretty when she does that. "It's a scavenger hunt!"

I think I'm supposed to do something dramatic now.

"Dun dun dun..."

"Oh, shut up."

"How do you play?"

"Well, it's a race. We divide into two teams, Ron and I and you and Harry." Somebody wants a snog in the woods.

Not me, I mean.

"I have a list of items that you need to find. Whoever finds all their items first and has them back before twelve o' clock wins!"

"What do we win? A toaster oven?"

"No. Mrs. Weasley says the winning team gets a piece of pie for dessert."

"LET'S GET GOING!"

She rolled her eyes and handed Harry our list. Hmph. Probably thinks I'll get it dirty or something. I peered over his shoulder.

"Mione! Mione, where are these things hidden!"

"Everywhere on the property except inside the house!" she called. Just bloody great.

This is _so_ not worth the pie.

_8:37 AM_

_Item #1: a stuffed bear_

Wandering through the woods. With Harry Potter by my side. This would be so romantic if pie weren't hanging in the balance.

"Harry, why are we in the woods?" I sound so smart.

"Because, Gin, bears live in the woods."

"This isn't a real bear!"

"You aren't catching the symbolism."

Fine. Humph. I'm stupid, go ahead and say it.

This is boring. Hmm, maybe if I poke Harry.

"Why are you poking me?"

"I'm bored."

"Er...okay."

Hehe. That's funny- oh God.

"H-Harry?" Oooh, this is so not good.

"Yes?"

"L-look!" Look at the frightening shadow! Oh Merlin, we're going to die in the woods. It's too horrible! It's too evil! It's too cliche!

In my fit of frightened-ness I happened to clutch his arm. His very toned, muscled arm... stop it, Ginny! Focus on looming death!

Er, maybe not.

Finally, _finally_, he looks up to were I'm pointing, to the very scary shadow! It looks like it's in a tree. It's a flying, evil monster of DEATH!

I squeaked. Yes, I squeaked. In a ridiculously little-girlish fashion.

The shadow's coming closer- it's horrible- it's... small- it's...

cuddly?

"Scared of the teddy bear, Gin?"

"No. I was just seeing if you knew it was a teddy bear."

"Sure, yeah right."

"Really."

"Of course."

I'm an idiot. Ah, well, check for item one.

_8:57 AM_

_Item #2: a purple shoelace_

What the hell?

A purple shoelace?

Do those even exist?

Count on Hermione to dream up something like that.

"Where should we look?"

"I dunno. How about around the house? You lot where shoes."

"Brilliant observation, Harry."

He turned a bit pink. Awwww, that is so cute!

Now comes the hard part- finding a purple bloody shoelace.

Maybe it's buried in the ground?

"Ginny, why are you digging?"

"To see if it's in the ground."

"Hermione said nothing was buried."

"When?!"

"When you were trying to steal the food from the picnic basket."

Point taken.

Harry's looking in those old cauldrons. Hmm, good idea. Oh MERLIN!

"Acklack!"

"What?"

"It's. A. Snake." A snake crawling out of one of Fred's boots! Oh, I hate snakes!

Wait. What's that on it's back?

"Gin, it's got the shoelace!"

"Well, thank you Captain Obvious!"

"How do we get it?"

"I don't know, but I'm not touching it!"

After a few minutes of, 'no, YOU get it!' Harry finally decides to be man and grab the shoelace.

"Yes!"

Checkaroo.

_9:09 AM_

_Item #3: a yellow shirt_

"Up there!"

"Were?"

"Look, you dolt! On top of the tree house!"

"How do we get it?"

"Are you terribly sensitive to pain, Harry?"

_9:34 AM_

_Item #4: a white pebble_

Does Hermione not know how hard those are to find?

Seriously, you can only find them by the lake, and when I was little a white pebble was as good as ten Galleons- to the kids, anyway. They're so rare that if you found one, if you gave it to Fred and George they'd help you sneak a cookie. Give it to Bill and he'd show you a neat curse for when you're allowed to do magic. Charlie let you play with his dragon action figures in exchange for a white pebble.

This race is impossible.

"Harry, we aren't going to get any pie!"

"You're getting hysterical."

"WHY AREN'T YOU?!"

"Calm down."

"I NEED A WHITE PEBBLE!"

Then he chose to throw a pinecone at my head.

Git.

_9:55 AM_

_Item #5: a blue candle_

"Give it, you stupid bird!"

"Ginny, just scare him away!"

"Like I'm not trying!"

Damn bird. Give me my blue candle!

"GAH! EVIL BIRD!"

"SQUAWK!"

"ARGH!"

"Get him, Harry!"

_10:13 AM_

_Item #6: a red leaf_

Hello, earth to Mione, it's not autumn!

"Why would there be a red leaf in July?"

"Who knows. It's probably some weird Hermione reasoning."

I'm going to be sore all over tomorrow from all this walking, and guess who'll pay the price? A certain Outstanding student who's name starts with 'H' and ends with 'ermione.'

"Look, Gin!" Huh?

"Oh! It's a red leaf! Get it Harry!"

"It's at the top of a tree that's about ten feet high, how do you expect me to get it?"

"You can climb, can't you?"

_10:38 AM_

_Item #7: a tin of black paint_

I think I'm choking on dust.

"Doesn't dad ever _clean _this broom shed?"

I spy the paint!

Uh-oh. How do I know which one's black? They're all closed.

Whatever. This one'll do.

"Got it, Harry!"

_11:14 AM_

_Item #8: a bottle of Butterbeer_

"Just a little closer... move to the left, TO THE LEFT!"

"Your left or my left?"

"My left, your right!"

"You mean I'm right?"

"No, your wrong, I'm left!"

"Turn left?"

"MY LEFT!"

_11:32 AM_

_Item #9: a bird's feather_

"C'mon, just a bit more..."

Stay still birdy, little birdy, don't move...

"Gin, get one from his back!"

"Why?"

"It's supposed to hurt them less if you pluck one from their back!"

What a wonderful animal rights activist.

"I've almost- OOMPH! Bloody hell! That hurt!"

"Maybe Hermione meant for us to find one on the ground."

"You think?"

_11:57 AM_

_Item #10: Ron and Hermione_

"What?"

"Huh?"

Okay, that's odd. How're we supposed to find Ron and Hermione?

"They're out there somewhere. C'mon, let's go back to the picnic basket and wait for them, then we've found them."

So, we wandered through the woods and finally find the bloody place where we're supposed to meet. Oh, but what do we find?

"YOU HAVE PIE!"

"You're intelligence is working wonders today, Ginny."

"NO FAIR!"

"Hey, you found us. We just got here first."

"Oh, shut up Ron."

"Damn!"

"NO PIE!"

Oh, what a happy day this has been.

At least they shared the pie.


End file.
